Just for Moms

Jen & Barb - Healthy Marriage

// July 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // Relationships, videos

When you’re a mom it is hard to keep up with everything in your life, so how to you concentrate on having a healthy marriage as well?

Moms Time - Get Your Relax On!

// July 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Moms seem to always be putting others first.  There is always a meal to be cooked, someones soccer jersey to wash, another one that needs a ride to the movies…and the list goes on.  But Moms need care, too, and before you can properly care for others you need to learn to care for yourself.  That means making time for relaxation.  It is your right but no one is going to force you to take advantage of it.  You need to take it for yourself.

Mom time means different things to different people because we are all unique.  Spending a night blogging may not be your way of relaxing but to me getting time to spend on my blog, uninterrupted, is worth a lot.  But what if you don’t know what you want to do when you have Mom time?  Here’s a few ideas that could consider:

• Exercise - yoga, pilates, and walking are all things that are known to be very relaxing and can also be done in 20-30 minute spurts.
• Bath time - add candles, bubble bath, nice music, incense to get that spa experience.
• Girls night - you all need some time to yourselves anyway so why not do it together?  Go to a concert, out for dinner, or just for a nice relaxing cup of coffee.
• Read funny books - laughter is good for the soul!  If you find a funny book read it in spurts and you’ll have something to look forward to for a time.
• Hobbies - anything you enjoy doing will help you relax - scrapbooking, quilting, knitting, gardening.

Remember that when you take care of yourself you’ll be better equipped to take care of the ones you love.  If you don’t give yourself enough attention, eventually you’ll resent it and it will be reflected in your mood.

What do you do to take care of yourself?

Invite Your Kids Into the Kitchen

// July 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // Kids

Have a hard time getting meals together when you kids are running around looking for a snack, begging for your attention, or just generally trying to be near you? Of course you are. We’ve all been there but what do you do about it?

The easiest solution to is to keep them busy and what better way to do that then to put them to work in the kitchen? There are loads of things that kids can do in the kitchen. They’ll end up helping you and making things a bit easier and they get what they want – they’ll be near you and have their attention.

Cooking with Kids suggests that kids should have their own pint-sized equipment. They suggest:

• Measuring spoon set
• Measuring cups: one for dry ingredients and one for wet ingredients
• Wooden spoon
• Apron or large t-shirt
• Potholders and/or oven mitts
• Small knife (plastic, paring, or as appropriate for your child)
• Vegetable peeler
• Safety scissors
• Rubber spatula
• Small cutting board

Cooking with Kids

Of course, you should base their activities on things that are actually safe for them to do. Younger kids can do thinks like mixing and measuring, pouring dry liquids, or rolling dough. As kids get older they can learn how to handle knives properly, pour liquids, and turn on the oven. When kids learn how to handle things in the kitchen while they are working with you it is an investment in your future! By the time they are 13 or 14 they can learn to prepare entire meals and safely cook for themselves.

So, next time your little one begs for attention while you are cooking a meal, invite them to join you!

How To Deal With Tweens and Those Clothes They Want to Wear

// July 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

In the past years, merchandisers have found a new market that spends a lot of money – tweens. Tweens are children between the ages of 9-12; past the child age and not yet considered a teen. Tweens clothing lines have grown in proportion to the amount of spending money that tweens have and they are getting more and more mature.The fact is that tweens are trying to dress more and more like teens and it’s quite likely to drive their parent’s crazy, which of course is half the point. Short tops, shorter skirts, and pants that hang down way further than they are supposed to are common and besides making their parents feel like tearing out their hair, there are other reasons why they all feel the need to dress older than their age.

One of the reasons is that they see it in the media all the time. It is logical to them that if Beyonce is wearing it and getting lots of attention then they’ll get lots of attention as well. Getting attention from peers, teachers, and parents is one of the main focuses of tween life and frankly, they don’t always care if it is positive or negative. Attention is attention.

As well, the tween years are more than ever a time of self-discovery. They are trying to find out if they like being the jock, the rebel, or the fashion diva so they try a lot of different costumes on to see if they like the role they are dressing for. Tweens are going to experiment. Chances are, it will pass. But it may not so parents need to set their limits.

As parents, there are several things we need to keep in mind when it comes to our tweens’ wardrobes:

1. Pick your battles – is it really worth the fighting over the ripped jeans? Does it go against some kind of moral principals you are trying to teach your child? If not, grit your teeth and try to look the other way. The more you fight against it the more the will fight for it so make sure this is a battle worth fighting before you enter the battlefield.
2. Set limits and stick to them. Tween clothing is not always something you want to ignore. If the rips and tears that are so fashionable are in inappropriate spots they need to know it. They insist on putting new tears in their clothes? Throw them out and refuse to buy them new ones until the rips stop appearing in the wrong places. The skirts are getting too short? Cut them in half. The funny thing is tweens can’t buy new and inappropriate clothes if they have nothing to buy it with. You’re the parent – you control their finances.
3. Don’t be afraid to bend a little. Ok, so you don’t like the length of your tween daughter’s skirt. Bend a little and let her wear it with leggings underneath. Make it clear to her that the skirt must always be worn with leggings. Contact the school and her teacher and let her know the situation. If you find out the leggings are disappearing when she gets to school, make the skirt disappear.
4. Don’t assume they are following your rules about clothing. Don’t you remember being a teenager? Our early teens are equivalent to their tweens so remember how smart you were (or thought you were) when you changed your clothes before you got to class.

Have a plan to work with your tween to find a clothing style that doesn’t make you want to cover them with a blanket but is acceptable to them as well. Tweens crave acceptance and if they don’t find it in the way they dress they’ll look for it in other ways that may be even less desirable.